Capital Eat's 2024 holiday food and drink gift guide

Savvy Co. Cider Advent Calendar

Founder Debbie Trenholm and her team at Ottawa-based Savvy Company have done cider lovers a favour by creating this one-of-a-kind advent calendar with 24 ciders from around Ontario for you to explore. Some are dry, some sweeter, some flavoured and two sparklers without alcohol are included.

Working together with local business Elephant Print they designed the calendar to be ready to go. Simply open the box top to reveal the removable dates and to extract your cider.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting the Savvy Co. team over the years and what I appreciate is that they are genuine boosters of Ontario businesses. They know their stuff, and the producers with whom they work most definitely align with my ethos of supporting independent, family-run businesses.

For obvious reasons, I won’t divulge the names of the ciders or producers included in this calendar. It’s better that it remains a surprise. The Savvy crew, however, have thoughtfully provided three cider guides produced by Drink On an Ontario initiative to promote Ontario apple ciders. Only ciders using 100% Ontario apples may use the Drink On label.

The collection of ciders here is outstanding. None of these are available at the LCBO and Debbie and team have done a bang-up job of curating some of Ontario’s top examples. One of the included non-alcoholic versions is naturally flavoured with raspberry and represents one of the most exciting alcohol-free drinks I’ve had in years. Time for a case of that.

Use the guides provided to further enhance your experience. One takes you through the sensory attributes of cider, while another guides you through cider and food pairings. 

This advent calendar also provides the perfect opportunity to host a cider tasting over the holidays and Drink On have produced a fab outline on how to conduct one of these. A great way to entertain friends and family this Christmas.

A number of Ottawa Lookout readers had pre-ordered these calendars back in September and are right now enjoying some of Ontario's best. Currently there are only 20 advent calendars remaining. You can get yours here.

Sol Farmers

Ottawa is lucky to have Spanish food importer Sol Farmers on the landscape. They’re located at 2413 Holly Lane, an industrial park just off Walkley. 

While they’re not a storefront shop per se, you can shop with them online and pick up your order during their hours of operation. With Canada Post on strike they’re also working with delivery services to ensure you get your goods in time for holiday entertaining.

The upcoming holidays are precisely the right reason to bring this importer to the attention of the public. I enjoy serving Spanish appetizers year round and Sol Farmers has not just a good variety of cheeses but very nice charcuterie from producers such as Redondo Iglesias, La Barrica, Senorio de Montanera and their own label Don Jose.

But the appetizer platter needn’t be restricted to just meat and cheese, they also bring in a full range of Galician tinned fish from Conservas de Cambados such as tender baby squid in olive oil. I recommend adding these to a marinade of freshly chopped garlic, shallots, parsley, sea salt and white wine vinegar and after a few hours serving them on crostini rounds. A unique appetizer perfect with a dry Cava.

This business in fact offers a full range of products both for your pantry and immediate consumption. If snacks are called for try their Spanish potato chips with seasonings such as black truffle or Iberico ham.

You’ll appreciate products for every course of your dinner party and they take you right to the dessert course with an assortment of Spanish sweets from almond cookies to turron to chocolate for your hot cacao.

I’ve recommended signing up for their weekly email discounts but now they’ve added an ebook of Spanish holiday recipes which they will send as a courtesy to all who request it here.

Anna Stubbe Chocolates

While not identical, walking into Anna Stubbe’s chocolate shop over the Christmas season reminds me of the confectionery shops in Germany. It’s a little tug at the heart for me.

Cakes, chocolates and cookies that are so artfully crafted and of such quality that, despite your best intentions, giving them as gifts may become impossible. So buy extra.

Anna does come by her gifts naturally through innate curiosity, dedication and the mentorship of multi-generational artisans of pastries and chocolates on both sides of the family.

Just appreciate the amount of work that went into crafting this chocolate box that isn’t just reserved for housing chocolates but makes a beautiful way of delivering other gifts.

Apart from the aesthetics, it’s the flavours of her Christmas collection that takes me home. The crispy chocolate gingerbread clusters are delicately flavoured and worthy of munching by the handful. Resist that urge however as you’ll be glad, over a longer period of time, that you still have something to enjoy the next day.

She also exercises a refined sensibility in her seasonal truffle collection of gingerbread, apple pie, hot cacao and rum-raisin. The flavours are distinct but not bombastic keeping in mind that all components need to be experienced on the palate.

What is also to be appreciated is that Anna has developed creations at a variety of price points from stocking stuffers to larger chocolate Christmas trees as well as sugar-free treats for those who have dietary restrictions. 

With both my objective and emotional sensibilities having been tapped, Anna Stubbe Chocolates remains my preferred chocolate destination in the Ottawa region.

Moroccan Market

The Moroccan Market was once located in Alta Vista but during the pandemic moved to 2249 Carling Ave. 

Here you’ll find traditional cookware such as tajines and beautiful tea sets but you can round out your shopping with delicious pastries delivered daily. 

A large assortment of various dried goods (lentils, beans, barley, bulgur etc) along with teas and coffees are featured for those wanting to explore North African cooking.

They also have everything you need for your holiday baking including rose and orange blossom waters and grape or pomegranate molasses.

Naturally enough you’ll find a good assortment of olives and olive oils such as these appetite-inducing lemony chargrilled olives and a fine oil from Tunisia. Importantly for olive oil, the Salma oil is described as “perfectly traceable” and has a batch number as well as a production date and best before date. To further indicate its quality the label indicates it has less than .4 % acidity which is quite good.

You’ll also find a collection of foods imported from Belgium such as this very nice burger sauce which also works as a strong flavour addition to egg, chicken or tuna salads. 

One of the taste finds of the year is the Marrakech 100 % clementine juice that has no preservatives or added sugar. Finally a juice for people like me who don’t enjoy orange juice.

Little Barcelona

Little Barcelona was an early discovery for me this year. Not only was this the first Spanish restaurant in the region, but it was located in an industrial area just off the highway in Prescott.

Life and business partners Lorna Thain-Segu and Marc Gomez-Segu not only operate a restaurant, they also import some of Spain’s most highly prized foods such as Joselito Iberico ham, which has been recognized as the world’s finest .

For this holiday they’ve organized a series of gift baskets, which can be customized according to dietary requirements or budget. 

Not only is Joselito ham one of their hottest offerings, there is a selection of top-tier Spanish cheeses, tinned seafood and Mojama. Mojama is a salt-cured, air-dried tuna loin known as the “ham of the sea” with an elevated status having been granted Protected Geographical Indication.

If that weren’t sufficient, the Segus also have a fine selection of consignment-only wines for on the table or under the tree. You won’t find these at the LCBO.

Lastly, I can only recommend two of my favourite items, from any business this year: the Vichy Catalan sparkling water and the San Nicasio truffle potato chips. They have their price but are the finest examples in their category. 

If you think water is just water, let yourself be surprised by the sea-breeze salinity and fine carbonation. As for the chips, the label tells you that they use actual truffles and not some truffle “flavouring.” It’s the holidays, you’re probably getting stressed so find a couch for an hour and eat straight out of the bag. 

As a gesture of the season, Marc and Lorna are also offering free shipping and 5% off when you place an order using both codes: CapitalEats and OttawaFS (free shipping) on check out.

Sarafino Italian Imports

“We are an honest, hard working food provider with nothing to hide. Guided by transparency, trackability and your trust and loyalty.” So reads just part of this family’s mission statement.

I first fell for their products last year when I enjoyed some of their olives at a friend's dinner in Toronto. Now when I do visit Toronto, I make sure to stock up on Sarafino at an old favourite haunt of mine – Fiesta Farms.

Just have a look at their website and go a little deeper beyond the enticing products. Here, you’ll get to the heart of this business’ philosophy: great products are crafted by people of integrity with a dedication to land stewardship and an abiding respect for tradition.

Profiles of their producers are featured front and centre and backstories on their own family products are highlighted in detail.

We know that prices for olive oil are through the roof no matter where you look, so it’s exciting news for foodies that Sarafino offers approximately 36 different products and the prices today are fair for the quality offered. They even have a “Family Roots” gift pack of four different oils from their family groves in Calabria.

They also stock 44 varieties of vinegar to complement your oil, including a balsamic from 1959 for $430.00.  A true rarity made more rare as there’s only one bottle left.

For your gluten-free friends and family, there’s a very good buckwheat pasta, but I need to emphasize the Passata Rustic puree tomatoes. Only from my garden each year do I have tomatoes that taste fresher.

These are Calabrian family estate tomatoes harvested just 30 metres from the sea and handpacked the same day in an on-site facility. 

Throw in a good sea salt, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil, and you will have a sauce that is finer than anything out of the most expensive shops anywhere. At $7 a bottle, it’s a bargain and has become my go-to for packaged tomatoes. Yes, you’ll even enjoy them more than D.O.P San Marzano.

Last year I introduced readers to a range of their products including their excellent raw chocolate bars from Cacao Crudo. This is chocolate in its purest, unprocessed form with such depth of cocoa flavour that the finish never seems to end. It’s also remarkably low in sugar, with only 6 grams of sugar per 30-gram bar.

On their site you’ll find these bars at 50% off for only $2.50 each. This year, they’ve also released Chocoat, a dark vegan chocolate bar made with oats, of course.

Having dealt with Sarafino in the past, I’m heartened by the people I’ve had contact with. These are folks that really embody in personality the spirit they lay out on their website. Like their products, they’re first-rate.

San-O Koji

“Koji is a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, integral to the production of sake, soy sauce, miso, and many other traditional foods. This remarkable ingredient, often referred to as ‘Japan's fermentation magic,’ is essential for unlocking the deep umami and rich flavors characteristic of Japanese dishes.”

This passage is from the San-O website, which acts as an ultimate tool for anyone feeling uncertain about using this extraordinary kitchen staple. This site is recommended reading.

I was pleased to meet the founder of San-O, Noriko Suzuki at a Japanese Embassy seminar where she spoke of the wonders of koji.

It may be a different form of seasoning but it needn’t be intimidating. In fact, you’ve likely had it in some form, whether soy sauce, miso or in certain Japanese sweets.

Koji enzymes, amylase and protease, are released, acting to break down starches or proteins, respectively.

The product Amazake, for example, breaks down starches unlocking and enhancing the natural sweetness of anything with which it’s fermented and reducing the need for sugar. It can be used to ferment orange peels that can be made into a sparkling orange soda.

You can dowload a free guide on Koji below.

Other of their koji products are great for breaking down proteins resulting in super tender meats packed with umami.

You can also reduce food waste by using koji on spent coffee grounds or stale breads to make coffee shoyu and bread miso paste.

I did try the coffee shoyu after the seminar and was impressed by the complexity of the flavours.

You may also want to use koji for pickling vegetables and the list of applications keeps growing. It’s also a fine way of reducing salt in your cooking and it’s great for gut health.

Currently, there are a number of Quebec restaurants using koji and they include Maynard, Rose Ross, Nama and one of my favourite breweries, Dieu du Ciel, which uses it in making one of their popular beers.

San-O does have the license to ship into Ontario and in Ottawa their products can be found at Hungry Ninja on Merivale.

Montebello Cheese

Ottawans will know the award-winning Montebello Cheese from its availability in shops and seasonal markets such as the Christmas market at the Museum of History.

Montebello may be a small town but it has a sufficient number of venues for the foodie in you, and the cheese factory shop is a must-visit. Just note that their restaurant is closed for the season and will re-open in the spring of 2025.

If you are in Montebello for the upcoming Christmas season, you’ll want to stop in at the cheese shop for a very robust selection of great products made in Quebec. The truth is that if you’re from any country in the old world, there’s no other province that produces such a range of artisanally made foods that will scratch your itch as Quebec. 

The organic producer Rheintal (a German word meaning Valley of the Rhine) is a prime case in point. Their standards for both raising animals and meat production are incredibly high and the products are delicious.

While in Montebello, I had a largely decent experience at Le Bistro, a very popular restaurant that was positively hopping at lunch.

The Montebello cheese shop sells a complete line of the very good Le Bistro salad dressings. As someone who makes his own dressings, I was surprised to find that I thought of the Caesar dressing as the best-bottled version I’d had in a decade, and I’d buy it again. Completely clean label and worth every penny.

If you’re out on a day trip or passing through, stop in as the selection of artisanal products is impressive.

Chef’s Depot

Chef’s Depot opened their new location on Innes Rd this year and for people like me, it’s a bit of a playground.

With its mix of commercial equipment, stove-top cooking tools, packaging/storage materials and foods all available to the general public, what’s not to love? Besides, their prices are pretty good.

A current sale, for example, has five pound bags of garlic flakes for only $10. You can also indulge in bulk frozen foods for your business, large containers of spices from across the globe and unique sodas from Welch’s and Sunkist and Pepsi that you’ve not seen elsewhere. 

For me, however, they have the Holy Grail of mayonnaise at a price you’ll not see anywhere else. Mayonnaise may not be for everyone but then again not everyone has tried Kewpie. 

The Japanese Kewpie is the mayo of choice for every serious restaurant and foodie globally, and whereas Farm Boy and T&T sell it for $8.99 and $7.99 respectively, you can find it at Chef’s Depot for $5.99. That’s some 2010s pricing.

If you have a serious food hobbyist in your life, you may want to visit Chef’s Depot for some Christmas shopping.Stolichni Deli

For those who can’t resist trying any food they’ve not had before, the Stolichni Deli at 2280 Carling is a bit of a playground. 

It has a large selection of Eastern European goods from teas, biscuits and jams to frozen treats and savoury foods. 

Check out both their deli counter and refrigerators for one of the largest selections of cured/dried fish in Ottawa. 

Many of us in northern European countries grew up eating pickled herring and I found my favourite in a brand called Sledzie od Serca from Poland. It sells for $4.99, making it, on averag,e three dollars cheaper than most other delis in the city.

The deli counter also has one of Ottawa’s best selections of cured meats from producers outside of Toronto. They also carry salami and Iberico lard (for magnificent roast veggies) from a good Spanish producer named Beher. Worth getting.

I grabbed a bottle of Cornellian cherry juice because it’s both a superfood and very hard to come by. Common to Europe, I’m looking to find a tree of my own for next year's planting as it’s said to do well in colder climates.

It’s by no means as sweet as cherry and does have a more distinct rhubarb-like note. If you’re planning on experimenting with it in adult long drinks, you may want to add simple syrup.

Unless it’s used for baking or sauteeing, I don’t buy Canadian butter. I’m content to pay more for butter that tastes better on something like a baguette with a slice of quality ham or cheese. 

At Stolichni you’ll find brands from Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine which also provide you with chocolate butter (not very sweet) that’s a good match with strawberry jam or peanut butter. Wonderfully crazy.

La Chula

I came across La Chula at a recent Christmas market and it was the sole standout food vendor.

What they produce is not what we typically associate with “salsa.” In fact, their salsas more closely resemble Asian crispy chili oils. Here they use somewhat different seasonings in addition to nuts and seeds like almonds, sesame and pumpkin seeds.

Saute a mess of green scallions and garlic in butter, add a teaspoon of soy sauce (and a couple of tablespoons of water) then add a tablespoon or two of La Chula almond salsa macha to cooked egg fettuccine and you have a beautifully seasoned quick meal.

Then you get to their jams. They do a hibiscus and chipotle and both are distinct and a fine alternative to quince or fig paste on your cheese or charcuterie board.

You can order directly from them or shop at Tortilla Maker or Bienvenidos.

Chippers Bakery

If you’ve been around long enough, you know to trust your gut instincts. So once, when I looked in on Chippers at 1055 Sommerset this past summer, I saw their cookies and thought, “meh, pretty generic.”  I wasn’t done, however, and something drew me back.

Whatever that mysterious force, it turned out to be a good thing. On entering, there was the very satisfying and encouraging aroma of butter in the air. Now I was primed to try their goods.

The cookies are large and weighty and might leave the consumer to wonder if there’s any quality with such an inelegant baked good.

I can confirm that the ingredients used taste better than average and the butter notes are throughout the fully baked doughs. Important to remember as you read the next story.

The salted dark caramel butterscotch chip was rich and worth every penny. I recommend sharing this monster. The other item pictured may be even more decadent and again, you want to share the “stuffed butter tart” cookie.

Chippers also makes an assortment of vegan cookies as well as cakes for special occasions. 

This is a local cookie company doing it right for those who like their oversized biscuits, and with a broad range of recipes (and the use of butter) this is a business you may want to visit for holiday treats.

Crumbl Cookies

With a few decades on the chassis, I can report that I’m so endlessly glad that I have a natural immunity to anything “viral”. As far as I’m concerned the zombie apocalypse is here and I’ll be fine.

I really don’t care why things go viral (the reasons are stultifyingly simple) but I’m still curious enough to wonder if there’s anything behind the trend. So I went to Crumbl Cookies at 1377 Woodroffe Ave.

I arrived just before the local school let out and already the 30-person limit had been reached in the shop. Lines outside had begun to form. 

I ordered a six mini cookie box assortment ($20+) and, once home, discovered that the “key lime cookie” was actually a lime tart. 

You line up at a kiosk screen and punch in your order and you then still wait an inordinate amount of time (15 minutes) in a bleak and sterile environment that passes for design.

The experience of these cookies was entirely average with the lime tart (50 cent upcharge) being the standout. It was actually very good and if I were to go back I’d get six of these.

The peanut butter cookie was another matter entirely. The peanut butter was commercial, grotesquely waxy and tasted old. A few other items were under-baked with a raw flour taste.

I’ve included Crumbl here because the lime tart was so good and because I know that over the holidays, a younger segment of the population will want some bragging rights. Crumbl also happens to do a nice pink presentation box, so there’s that.